RISC-V demand helps UltraSoC expand in Bristol

September 13, 2017 //
By Peter Clarke

Embedded analytic semiconductor IP licensor UltraSoC Technologies Ltd. (Cambridge, England) has opened an engineering office in Bristol to help it address increasing demand for its IP in multiple markets.

The company is creating five jobs in Bristol and has appointed Marcin Hlond, as director of system engineering, based there. The company added that it would also continue to expand its head count at its Cambridge headquarters. Hlond has 20 years of experience gained at Blu Wireless, Nivida and Icera.

UltraSoC's IP cores provide embedded debug and analytic features for designers of SoCs to support multicore software integration and dynamic performance-power trade offs as well as safety and security functions. These have been in demand for automotive SoCs where the move towards autonomous vehicles; optimization in big data applications, from Internet search to data centers; and security for the Internet of Things, the company claims.

On top to this there are developments in Open Source hardware, such as the RISC-V processor architecture, that UltraSoC is supporting closely.

"There’s a perfect storm of factors revolutionizing the technology business from top to bottom,” commented Rupert Baines, UltraSoC CEO, in a statement. "This goes far beyond the semiconductor industry. We’re seeing the emergence of ‘self-aware’, self-optimizing systems, including technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence."

“For those of us focused on the semiconductor industry, we’re seeing a move away from the established single-vendor hegemony towards a much more open and almost ‘democratic’ design model,” Baines continued. “This is exemplified by the RISC-V initiative, in which UltraSoC plays a leading role. At the same time, our technology, embedded deep in silicon chips and unseen by the wider world, answers many of the broader questions facing tech companies today."